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This Is Us has swept the nation with it’s relatable and emotional plot lines. The show has garnered an incredible amount of praise. This Is Us has amassed countless fans and earned many awards. There’s no doubt that the show is phenomenal, but what are some similar shows to tide us over when This Is Us is in the offseason? We have your answers right here!
A Million Little Things
Summary
Unfortunate circumstances threaten to divide a tight-knit friend group. Will their differences push them farther away from each other or pull them closer, binding them together through their collective hardships. The sudden death of the leader of their group rattles them enough to open their eyes and review their life choices. The show is a drama that addresses difficult to talk about subjects like mental health, relationship issues, among other problems.
What’s Similar
A Million Little Things relates closely to This Is Us with its emotional storylines. Both shows have a knack for tugging at viewers’ heartstrings and incorporating interesting plot twists. Another thing they have in common is their character development. It is easy to empathize with the characters of both shows because they are very relatable.
What’s Different
The overall tone and themes in A Million Little Things are a lot darker and more adult. A Million Little Things crosses lines a lot of shows have never dared to venture into. It pays off in a big way and remains one of the most entertaining dramas on television today.
Where to Watch Online
A Million Little Things is available on Hulu, Youtube TV, Amazon Prime, Vudu, and Google Play.
Parenthood
Summary
The Braverman clan navigates the ups and downs together. The series focuses on four siblings- Adam, Sarah, Crosby, and Julia along with their children and spouses. Zeek and Camille, their parents, struggle with marriage troubles. The family leans on each other in their times of need.
The show has a strong theme of the family first and focuses on relationship building and character development. Over the course of six seasons, Parenthood tugs at heartstrings and entertains viewers from beginning to end.
What’s Similar
Parenthood and This Is Us are similar in their strong family first themes. Both series rely heavily on emotional connections between family members and the perseverance of their bonds, no matter the negative circumstances that life may throw at them.
What’s Different
This is Us utilizes flashbacks regularly. In the case of Parenthood, the show relies more on a chronological timeline. Another difference is that Parenthood uses a lot more comedy than This Is Us.
Where to Watch Online
Parenthood is available on Hulu, Youtube, Amazon Prime, Vudu, iTunes, and Google Play.
Atypical
Summary
In the Netflix original, Atypical, Sam is a teenager on the autism spectrum and he is ready to introduce romance into his life. With the encouragement of his therapist, he navigates the ups and downs of high school. On his quest for love, Sam faces challenges at home with his family life, as well as figuring out what he wants to do when he graduates. The heartfelt comedic show features a wide variety of characters and interesting plotlines.
What’s Similar
This is Us and Atypical are closely related because of their interesting plots and characters. Both shows give viewers surprising new elements to cliched plots that intrigue viewers and keep the shows fresh.
What’s Different
The major difference between the two shows is the comedic elements. Atypical tends to use more comedy than drama but strikes the perfect balance between the two.
Where to Watch Online
Atypical is available for streaming on Netflix. It is an original, so for now, that is the only place the title is available to watch.
Riverdale
Summary
Riverdale is home to Archie Andrews, the high school jock turned hopeful musician. The show follows Archie and his friends around town. The series is based on the characters from the famous Archie Comics. The crew solves various mysteries while navigating high school relationships and other issues.
What’s Similar
This Is Us and Riverdale primarily focuses on drama. The center of both shows are exciting stories with even more intriguing outcomes.
What’s Different
The notable difference in the shows is the intended audience. This Is Us targets a more mature crowd. Riverdale manages to pull in a younger audience while also entertaining the adult audience, as well.
Where to Watch Online
Riverdale is available on Netflix, The CW, Youtube TV, and Amazon Prime.
The End of The F****ing World
Summary
Two teenagers, Alyssa and James decide to run away together. James is convinced he is a psychopath. He has spent years killing animals and has decided he’s ready to move up to people. He targets Alyssa and agrees to go on a road trip to find her estranged father that she has not seen since she was a small child.
Alyssa feels like an outcast at her new school and desperately needs to escape. Their road trip grows increasingly more dangerous as the pair gets into more trouble after every pit-stop they make.
What’s Similar
Both series are heavy on drama. Both series are highly rated shows.
What’s Different
The End of The F****ing World contains a lot of dark-humor and comedy. The series contains violence much more prevalently than This Is Us.
Where to Watch Online
This series is available on Netflix, Youtube, Amazon Prime, Vudu, and Google Play.
Jane the Virgin
Summary
Jane the Virgin chronicles the life of Jane Villanueva and her family. Jane is a hopeful author working as a hotel waitress while attending college. During her regular OBGYN annual visit, she is accidentally artificially inseminated.
Jane is a virgin with strict moral values her Abuela instilled in her as a young child. The surprise of having the child of a stranger is a lot for Jane to deal with, especially since she just got engaged!
What’s Similar
Jane the Virgin is similar to This Is Us for a few reasons. Both series focus on family and morals. Both utilize flashbacks frequently within the series.
What’s Different
The most significant difference between the two series is the way the story is told. Jane the Virgin uses a narrator and telenovela style script.
Where to Watch Online
Jane the Virgin is available to watch on Netflix, Google Play, Youtube, Amazon Prime, iTunes, and Vudu.
Shameless
Summary
Frank Gallagher is a single father drowning his sorrows in as much alcohol as he can drink (and afford.) The poor and dysfunctional family do their best to get by together. The eldest daughter, Fiona, takes on the role of guardian for the other five children.
What’s Similar
Both shows feature elements that tug at viewers’ heartstrings.
What’s Different
Shameless is like This Is Us’ raunchier cousin. There are many similarities in the shows, but ultimately the viewers of Shameless expect much darker and comedic stories. The plot twists for Shameless are often more shocking than most television shows.
Where to Watch Online
Shameless is available for viewing on Netflix, Youtube TV, Showtime, Amazon Prime, and iTunes.
Grace and Frankie
Summary
Grace and Frankie have been colleagues, but rivals for a very long time. Their husbands worked together in a law firm for many years and the two have always been at odds.
In a turn of events, their husbands gather them together for dinner to announce to their wives that they are leaving them because the two of them have fallen in love. As the women’s lives fall apart they grow closer and a friendship blossoms.
What’s Similar
Both shows explore the lives of parents and grandparents. Grace and Frankie focus more on grandparents, but This Is Us explores it, as well.
What’s Different
Grace and Frankie are typically much more light-hearted than This Is Us. Both have the ability to bring heavy subjects to the table, but ultimately, Grace and Frankie lean more towards comedy than drama.
Where to Watch Online
Grace and Frankie is available on Netflix, Youtube, Amazon Prime, Google Play, and Vudu.
Sex Education
Summary
Otis is an awkward teenager whose mother is a sex therapist. Most of his life he has been desensitized to the stigmas of sex since his mother talks about it so openly with him. He teams up with business-minded Maeve to set up secret sex therapy sessions for inexperienced teens in need of advice. In his journey as the underground advice counselor Otis discovers, he may need some advice himself.
What’s Similar
This Is Us has a few episodes peeking into the life of the main cast as awkward teenagers, while Sex Education’s primary story-telling relies on the woes of teenagers.
What’s Different
There are a lot more awkward and funny moments in Sex Education.
Where to Watch Online
Sex Education is only available on Netflix.
Love Alarm
Summary
In a world capable of technology that unlocks the deepest feelings of your heart, Love Alarm is an app that will tell the world who you love and if they love you in return. Kim Jojo, a high school student meets two boys who change her life forever. However, she doesn’t like to use the app because of the problems it presents. Who will win her heart in the end?
What’s Similar
Both shows relate the hardships of characters not having any family support or people to lean on in a time of need.
What’s Different
There are a lot of differences when it comes to these two shows. Love Alarm is a Korean drama that has been dubbed into English. The main focus of it is romantic relationships, instead of romantic and platonic in This Is Us.
Where to Watch Online
Love Alarm is available on Netflix.
The Fosters 
Summary
Stef and Lena are no strangers to the foster care system. They fostered two of their adopted children, Mariana and Jesus. When the pair are presented with Callie, a teenager hardened by the foster care system, they welcome her.
Callie resists and talks to the couple in brash tones, believing this is just another pit-stop for her. The couple’s biological child, Brandon reaches out to Callie and they form a unique friendship. As the series goes on, Callie and the other Fosters fight to make her a part of the family permanently.
What’s Similar
Both shows are drama-driven by relationships.
What’s Different
The target audience for Freeform’s The Fosters is a younger audience than This Is Us. The Fosters examines the foster-care system from the eyes of children and concentrates on their perspective instead of the adults.
Where to Watch Online
The Fosters is available on Netflix, Youtube, Amazon Prime, Google Play, and iTunes.
Reign
Summary
Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland finds herself in the French Court vying to win the respect of the people in France and Scotland. She meets with her betrothed, Francis for the first time in many years. The show follows their love story and the tragedies and triumphs Mary goes through in her ascendance to the throne.
What’s Similar
This Is Us and Reign do a wonderful job weaving stories and making us fall in love with the complex characters.
What’s Different
Reign is a historical piece, which makes the differences seem vast. The main plot of the show is Mary, Queen of Scots’ rise to the throne and her relationships along the way.
Where to Watch Online
Reign is available to watch on Netflix, Youtube, Amazon Prime, iTunes, Google Play, and Vudu.
Girls
Summary
Hannah, an aspiring writer struggles to make ends meet in New York. The show follows her and her friends through careers, relationships, and family struggles. Hannah is cut off from her parents financially and the show documents her poor decision-making skills beautifully.
What’s Similar
Girls and This Is Us are similar in their story-telling. Both shows follow multiple characters down their paths and give us insight to each group member.
What’s Different
Girls has a very strong feminist theme. The show also pushes boundaries in a way that This Is Us does not.
Where to Watch Online
Girls is available on HBO Now, Amazon Prime, Youtube, iTunes, Google Play, and Vudu.
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